Why Is Mitt Romney Campaigning With John Kasich? The Republican Establishment Is In Free Fall

Mega Tuesday is happening on March 15 and the remaining six candidates are doing everything they can to get one step closer to becoming their party's nominee. There are five states participating in this election event — Florida, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, and North Carolina — and for Ohio Gov. John Kasich's eventual success, winning his home state of OH is imperative. Just two days before the third Super Tuesday, former presidential candidate Mitt Romney announced he would accompany Kasich during two of his events in Ohio. It's a little unclear why Romney is campaigning with Kasich, but it could be his last-ditch effort to stop Donald Trump from continuing on his successful path.

In a March 3 speech on the state of the presidential race, Romney advised Republicans not to elect Trump as president, saying that if they do, "the prospects for a safe and prosperous future are greatly diminished." Since then, Romney has made clear that he is staunchly anti-Trump and that he will do whatever it takes to #StopTrump. Rumors emerged that Romney might even join this year's presidential election just to take support away from Trump, but that never actually happened. Instead, it seems that Romney has decided to partner with Kasich in hopes of stopping Trump once and for all.

In early March, Romney recorded robocalls for Kasich's campaign, as well as Marco Rubio's, but the former Massachusetts governor has yet to officially endorse any candidate. However, campaigning with Kasich (rather than Rubio) to ensure his success in Ohio's winner-take-all primary seems like an unspoken endorsement. Moreover, recent Marist/NBC/Wall Street Journal polls have projected that Rubio will lose Florida to Trump, but Kasich is predicted to win Ohio with 39 percent to Trump's 33 percent. This is promising for both Kasich and Romney, as Romney's sole goal is to support any candidate who could feasibly beat Trump.

Chris Schrimpf, a Kasich campaign spokesperson, told ABC News that Romney offered his help to Kasich and his campaign agreed to have his help in Tuesday's primaries. Romney will join Kasich at campaign events in North Canton and Westerville, Ohio, to secure a victory in the Buckeye State. Schrimpf also said that they believe Kasich is "the best candidate to defeat Donald Trump in Ohio and to defeat Hillary Clinton in November," according to CNN.

It has been said that no Republican has ever won the White House without winning the Ohio primary, and Romney's presence in the 2016 race proves that he will do anything to get Kasich — or at least any Republican other than Trump — into the White House in January.